Wilson sparks Huntingdon matmen

January 30, 2013

HUNTINGDON - Westmont Hilltop, which is back down to Class AA after flexing its muscle as a Class AAA team in recent years, stood in Huntingdon's way of a likely rematch with Mount Union in the District 6 Duals.

It turned out second-seeded Huntingdon was able to flex some muscles of its own.

The Bearcats, sparked by key wins by Collin Glorioso and Jacob Dubbs at 106 and 113, respectively, and a stunning pin by Matt Wilson of Logan Blackburn off a spladle, rolled to a 49-22 win over the seventh-seeded Hilltoppers on Tuesday night in the quarterfinals.

"The kids really went out and after it," said Huntingdon coach Jon Mykut, whose team improved to 11-2. "They seemed to really work for the bonus points, and that will be key Saturday."

"The thing was, they're a good team from top to bottom," Westmont coach Matt Beaujon said of Huntingdon, "so you've got to wrestle them tough for 14 weight classes. There was a couple matches we were looking to, and it didn't go our way."

Westmont (10-3) reached the quarters with a 60-18 win over 10th-seeded Claysburg-Kimmel in the first match of the doubleheader.

The quarters started with a bang as Huntingdon's Jon Wagner won a 14-12 shootout over Seth Ray. Trailing 7-2 in the second, Wagner escaped, took Ray down and tilted him twice to take a 9-7 lead.

In the third, Wagner scored a takedown and gave up an escape before Ray took him down to make the score 11-10. Ray released Wagner and took him down to tie the score, 12-12 with 36 seconds left, but Wagner reversed to win by two.

"He never quit," Mykut said, "and that's what we preach to our kids."

Pins by Logan Fisher and Matt Norris at 152 and 160, respectively, extended the Bearcats' lead to 15-0.

The Hilltoppers responded with a Riley Schropp major decision and Collin Barron pin at 170 and 182.

Huntingdon's Mitchell Lauer stopped the run with a pin in 47 seconds at 195, but WH's Don Shovestull pinned Tyler Wholaver in 3:42 to get the Hilltoppers to within five, 21-16.

But the Bearcats won the next six bouts, and 285-pounder Dalton Kocik started it with a pin in 2:47.

A couple talented 106-pounders met in the next bout in Glorioso and Drake Dorian, and Glorioso (23-3) parlayed three takedowns, an escape and some tough riding into a 7-0 win.

"That was a good match for Collin," Mykut said. "If you don't give up any points, it's kind of hard to lose."

At 113, Dubbs took Dan Yost down in the first period and then held off Yost's takedown attempt in the final seconds for a 2-1 win.

Wilson was losing 2-0 to Blackburn and riding in the second when he hooked up the spladle, forced the Hilltopper to his back and pinned him in 2:52. Wilson roared his excitement and pumped his fist after he gave the Bearcats a 39-16 lead and the win.

"It just kind of presented itself, and Matt took advantage," Mykut said. "He was able to hook up a really good kid in Blackburn."

At 126, Devon Green headlocked Steve Zipf to his back from the top for three points in the first, and he hip-tossed him the second for five points en route to a 16-3 win.

Huntingdon 132-pounder Nathan Russell built a 13-0 lead on Nick Mical before cradling Mical for a fall in 3:52. Westmont's Mike Walsh closed the meet out with a pin of Matt Grubbs.

The Bearcats could face third-seeded Mount Union, which will face either Blairsville or Ligonier Valley tonight, in the 10 a.m. semifinals Saturday. MU beat Huntingdon, 39-16, on Jan. 15.

"As I told the guys before the match, this is what you point to," Mykut said. "We're really looking forward to Saturday."

Bulldogs pinned

C-K, wrestling without Josh Brown (stitches above eye) and Cole Hypes (illness), gave up eight pins to Westmont, which used half nelson and bar-arms for the falls. C-K's only mat wins were pins by Cameron Strayer and Tyler Elder at 182 and 195, respectively.

"Give Westmont credit. They attacked where they should have and took advantage of the opportunities," C-K coach Dave Marko said. "They killed us with arm bars. We've got to do something to get our arm away better on bottom. That something that hasn't been a problem, but it apparently is right now."